Category: 2600 VCS

Task: Load Cassette Games on Your Atari 2600 Needed: Arcadia / Starpath Supercharger, compatible cassette game Time: 10-15 mins Introduction One of the many limitations of the Atari 2600 video console system (VCS) was that it only had 128 bytes of RAM. This and the

Task: Make Custom Atari 2600 Cartridges Needed: Binary, label art Time: 30-60 mins Introduction When I finished my Atari 2600 homebrew game Gene Medic I couldn’t wait to make it ‘real’ by having an actual cartridge made. Fortunately, the folks down at Atari Age make

Task: Compile Assembly Code for the Atari 2600 Needed: DASM cross-compiler, assembly code Time: 10-15 mins Introduction I had an Atari 2600 in the late 1970s before we got our first Atari 400 and 800 computers. I recall standing in line at Sears to purchase

Task: Play Atari 2600 Christmas Music Needed: Atari 2600 or Stella emulator, A Very 2600 Christmas binary file Time: 10-15 mins Introduction The Atari 2600 had a 6502 series processor like the Atari 8-bit computer line but lacked additional hardware to make it a powerful game

Task: Play Atari 2600 Games in Your Browser Needed: Web browser and Atari 2600 ROMs Time: 10-15 mins Introduction Emulation has been a lifesaver for bringing Atari goodness to the masses without the need for original hardware. The Stella emulator for the Atari 2600 is

Task: Install the Stella Atari 2600 Emulator Needed: Stella Time: 10-15 minutes Introduction The Atari Video Computer System (VCS) or 2600 was released in 1977 and took the world by storm. It is hard to believe that Atari sold the 2600 in its different forms

Task: Purchase a Harmony Cartridge for the Atari 2600 Needed: Harmony Cartridge With SD or microSD Card Time: 10-15 mins Introduction When I was programming my Atari 2600 game “Gene Medic” I wanted to be able to test it on original hardware since there are

Task: Read the Book “Racing the Beam” by Nick Montfort and Ian Bogost (3-6 Hours) Needed: The book Time: 3-6 hours Introduction I had an Atari Video Computer System (VCS) or 2600 before I owned an Atari 400 and then 800 computer. The 2600 was